Tracking Outcomes in Psychosis (TOPSY)

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate the pathophysiology of Formal Thought Disorder and variable outcomes in the early stages of schizophrenia. In particular, investigators aim to test the hypothesis that 1. Anatomical abnormalities involving the grey matter of the Anterior Insula and Medial Prefrontal Cortex in first episode schizophrenia predicts FTD that persists by 6 months of illness 2. An excess of glutamine/glutamate, or reduction in glutathione, in Medial Prefrontal Cortex at index episode will be associated with persistent FTD 3.Aberrant connectivity between Anterior Insula and Medial Prefrontal Cortex will specifically predict the severity of persistent FTD irrespective of the stage of illness; the change in this connectivity will track the variable 3-year outcome among patients with first episode of psychosis.

METHODS: This study will employ a cross-sectional design recruiting n=126 participants from the Prevention & Early Intervention Program for Psychoses (PEPP). Four groups of participants will be assessed: patients at a later stage of schizophrenia (chronic illness group) (n=42), newly referred first episode group of PEPP patients (n=84), Clinical High Risk patients (n=60) and healthy Controls (n=45). Measurements: Patients will be diagnosed using the criteria for schizophrenia according to DSM-V(34). Demographic variables such as age, gender and parental socioeconomic status will be recorded to adjust for potential confounding effects. Patients will undergo baseline assessments to assess seven features of FTD (poverty of speech, weakening of goal, perseveration, looseness, peculiar word usage, peculiar sentence usage and peculiar logic) in line with the validated procedure for administering Thought Language Index [TLI](17). First episode patients will undergo four 7T MRI scanning sessions over the course of 2.5 years (baseline, 6 months, 18 months, 30 months)lasting for 60 minutes each, as described in our previous work (15). During this time, researchers will perform MR spectroscopy (MPFC voxel (31)), T1 weighted structural scan and eyes-closed, task-free, 6 minutes resting-state functional MRI. 6 months after the onset of first episode, the clinical assessment will be repeated using TLI. Patients with persistent FTD will be identified (from previous studies, 40% of patients are expected to have persistent FTD (9)) and separated from patients who have no FTD at 6-months time point. Patients with established illness will undergo only 2 scans: baseline and 1 year later.